Fertility Preservation

This program, directed by Dr. Susan Taymans, supports basic, clinical, and translational research that is designed to preserve reproductive capacity in individuals who are or may become infertile secondary to chronic disease (e.g., cancer, systemic lupus erythematosus, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome) or disease treatment (radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery), exposure to environmental toxicants, advanced reproductive age, or genetic predisposition.

The Fertility Preservation Program encourages applications in the following priority areas: epidemiologic studies designed to determine the incidence and prevalence of infertility in individuals who have been exposed to life-saving, but gonadotoxic, chemo- or radiation therapy in children, reproductive-age women and men; applications that propose to develop biomarkers and clinical parameters to better predict gonadal reserve; studies that propose to elucidate the mechanism(s) in which chemo- and radiation therapy negatively impact fertility status; and technology proposals that have the potential to optimize or expand options for fertility preservation.